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Somebody explain to me why Hasbro hasnt come out with a Transformers Unleashed series. Think of the posibilities... Grimlock unleashed... Devastator unleashed... Wreck-Gar unleahsed.... I think it would be a great idea.

I'll explain it to you. Hasbro would only run it straight into the ground like they have with the SW 7" Unleashed.

Somebody explain to me why Hasbro hasnt come out with a Transformers Unleashed series. Think of the posibilities... Grimlock unleashed... Devastator unleashed... Wreck-Gar unleahsed.... I think it would be a great idea.

My guess is that they don't *have* to, Unleashed 7" was created to capture the teenagers who had lost interest in Star Wars, to get them back into the brand. Transformers isn't really lacking in any markets right now, and they even have sub-licensed the brand for statues and busts. Plus, what could a static line emulate? The toys alone? That's of course not necessary. The original TV show? As much as there is fanboy interest in it, I don't think the DVDs are selling so hot at this point that it would warrant an expensive line like that? The original movie? While we are upon the 20th anniversary of it, I don't think the buildup has been enough to garner mass-release interest in a TF:Unleashed line. The new movie? Maybe, but that's a year away. The new shows? Hardly! RiD, Armada, Energon, Cybertron, they're not inspiring.

Darth Vader is becoming the Mickey Mouse of Star Wars.

"In Brooklyn, a castle, is where dwell I"

The use of a lightsaber does not make one a Jedi, it is the ability to not use it.

One of the things that struck me about the toys being reviewed is the difference time can make. Modern toy collectors have a wealth of information available to them. Prototype and product pictures usually surface online months before toys hit the shelves, and often, case assortments are posted, allowing collectors to know not only what toys are shipping, but how they are shipping.
As such, a collector is unlikely to be suprised at all by what they find. In some cases, buying the toy can often seem redundant.
In contrast, 10 years ago, toy collecting was haphazard, and finding or missing waves of toys hinged on when one went to the store. The advantage was that one might just find a new and interesting toy. The downside was that one was more likely to miss interesting toys. While modern collectors are unlikely to be be suprised, they are unlikely to miss anything.
Like most collectors, I generally appreciate the advanced information available. And, on some occasions, I am still suprised not only by what I find, but how much better the actual product is compared to the early pictures. On a recent, and sweltering night, I decided to check a local store to update product listings. For the sake of irony, I assumed I would find the (thus far rare) Menasor figure. (I ordered one from a collector in California, so of course, I can assume one will turn up before mine arrives.)
No Menasors to be found. But, there were Beast Wars leaders, and remnants of a recent wave of Cybertron toys.
The Leaders: Both toys are packaged as the earlier anniversary figures (all recolors of old toys) were, but with 2 major differences. Rather than a single episode DVD and a piece of a larger toy, the leaders are packed with a small reprint of the recent IDW Beast Wars comic, and a small PVC of their respective ships from the old cartoon. The comic is a lack-luster offering. Besides the fact it was never good to begin with, the pages did not re-size well. Of course, making the comic harder to read may be a good thing.
Megatron w/ Predacon ship:
The t-rex mode is incredible. The sculpt and proportions do an excellent job of conveyeing the fact that dinosaurs were bird-like more than lizard-like. In terms of engineering, the transform is an inversion of the original dino-Megatron from '96. The only real flaw with the toy can be found here, in that several of the joints rely heaviy on the plastic tolerances, rather than any peg/socket system. Should these pieces become loose, the toy will be functionally broken. Despite being a US exclusive mold, the robot form looks very Japanese. The legs are excessively long, and the arms are a bit on the short side. (I tend to think this is intentional, in order to keep a consistent "dino" aesthetic. One of the more noteable differences between the original Megatron and this one is the tail-cannon on the left hand. On the old toy, the tail was permanently attached. The new Megatron's tail cannon is removable. Inserting a plastic key reveals a spring loaded cannon.
The Predacon ship is a well molded PVC. The plastic quality is good. And, the underside of the ship has more detail (painted and sculpted) than many other toys have on their primary surfaces. The main downside is the shade of green used. While there is a credible arguement to make that green is the correct color for this mold, the shade used is far too bright.
Grade:
A/B Not a perfect set, but it does a good many things well, including some interesting bits of engineering.

Optimus Primal:
The main selling point of this toy is the fact that it combines traits from previous renditions of the character. The engineering is primarily evocative of the early Beast Machines toy from '99. Additionally, some of the aesthetic touches (the beast hands, and the sculpted jets on the back) are similarly evocative. The colors are mostly derived from the first gorilla form. A detachable hover-board (usable only in beast form) is clearly inspired by the second gorilla form (from '97), the head sculpt splits the difference between the "Optimal" and bat forms. The problems with this toy are mostly in the execution, not the concept. A few more points of articulation would have greatly improved the beast form. And, the sigil (painted on the port beast-buttock) is jarring, and seems placed to inspire rude humor from collectors. Along similar lines, the beast mode's gorilla chest winds up on the robot's backside, allowing for more lewd jokes for collectors who are so inclined. The hover-board has a key-accessible missile launcher. The instructions show the toy holding the board like a gun, but the two pieces do not really connect solidly.
The Axalon is much closer to the correct color than the Predacon ship, but is a bit too light. The molding is solid enough, and people who are overly troubled by the colors can easily fix them with a bit of paint.
Grade:
B This set had much more potential than Megatron, but it also fails to deliver on more.
Demolishor:
This is a recolor, based on the original mold for the character used in late '02 (and several times since). Time has either been very kind to the original molding, or it has been restored. (Either case is plausible. I have a toy cast from the mold in late '03, and this more recent one looks cleaner. But, I have a hard time seeing Hasbro spending time and money to touch up an old mold.) While the mold itself has held up well, other changes made to the toy have harmed it. This is the first release of Demolishor's tank/bot form to lack a Minicon. While the inclusion of smaller Minicon figures (presented as assistants and slaves to the larger characters) became common in '02, Demolishor's worked especially well both in terms of aesthetics, and engineering. For whatever reason, Hasbro elected to remove the Minicon, and replace it with a key piece, similar to the ones included with most current toys. The key included with Demolishor has an extra socket piece, allowing it to function partially as a Minicon would. Mechanically, it serves just as well when unlocking the two-stage spring loaded gimmick (as impressively engineered now as it was 4 years ago). But, in terms of aesthetics, the key falls flat. And, some gimmicks on Demolishor are disabled without the specific Minicon the toy was designed to connect to.
An interesting aside is the character profile on the back of the package. It seems to over-write the Energon series, and portions of Armada. This is consistent with recent moves by Hasbro to use the "package story" to clean up and clarify inconsistencies in the story.
Grade:
C/D While the tank and robot forms are still worth-while, and the jungle camo scheme is one of the better paint applications seen on this mold, the lack of a Minicon (that could easily have been included) hurts this set.

Optimus Prime:
Much like Demolishor, this is a recolor of an older mold, and used to have a Minicon. Like Demolishor, Prime's mold has held up well over the years. The new colors actually preferable to previous uses of this mold (regardless of character). The lack of a Minicon does not hurt Prime as much as it hurts Demolishor for 2 reasons. One is the fact that Prime's Minicon was a pretty shoddy offering to begin with. The other is that Prime has no Minicon specific gimmicks that cannot be activated by using the included key (similar in design to Demolishor's). And, the gimmick is as lame as ever. It is either supposed to be a rapid punching action, or shoulding spasms. I still cannot figure it out. The biggest specific failure of the key when compared to the old Minicon figure is that it cannot convert into a weapon accessory for Prime. All this release of Prime has is the wrist blasters (aka the truck's exhaust pipes).
Grade:
B/C A solid effort, and the new color applications make this toy worth a look, if not worth purchasing. The lack of a Minicon, while annoying, is not as bad as with Demolishor.